Cessna To Offer Winglets on Citation X

Cessna announced today that it is partnering with Winglet Technology of Wichita to offer the company’s patented elliptical winglets as a retrofit later this year for in-service Citation Xs. Though flight testing won’t begin until later this summer, Winglet Technology president Bob Kiser told AIN the design has been shown to “significantly improve performance” on hot days at higher elevations. Cessna is unable to offer specific performance figures or a price at this time, although the company said it is also looking at incorporating the winglets on the Citation X production line in the future. This is the first contract for Winglet Technology. According to Kiser, the company’s winglet forms a continuous curving shape in the form of an ellipse. A Cessna spokeswoman said the company is not concerned about working with such an unproven design and that it evaluated other, better-known designs.